1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a scanning optical system which eliminates the unevenness in pitch of scanning lines.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In light beam scanning devices using a deflecting and reflecting surface on, for example, a rotational polygon mirror, various scanning optical systems have been proposed in which no unevenness is created in the pitch of scanning lines on a surface to be scanned (a medium to be scanned) even if the direction of travel of the light beam deflected and scanned is varied in a plane perpendicular to the deflection plane by the tilting of the deflecting and reflecting surface. The term "deflection plane" used herein refers to a light beam plane which is formed with lapse of time by a light beam deflected by the deflecting and reflecting surface of the deflector.
For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,750,189, the optical system between a deflector and a medium to be scanned comprises beam reforming means and second converging means and a light beam reflected by a deflecting mirror is collimated by the beam reforming means. If the optical system is thus endowed with the collimating function, limitations will be imposed on the configuration of the beam reforming means, and the imaging performance on the surface to be scanned and the degree of freedom which will better the strain characteristic for making the scanning speed constant will be decreased. Thus, unless the number of lenses forming the second converging means is necessarily increased, good performance cannot be obtained.
Next, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,865,465, a predetermined limitation is imposed on the ratio of the focal lengths of two lenses forming the optical system between the deflector and the medium to be scanned and satisfying this limitation is equivalent to collimating the light beam in a cross section perpendicular to the deflection plane between said two lenses. Accordingly, again in this example, the imaging performance and the degree of freedom which corrects the strain characteristic are decreased and this is not desirable.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,946,150, a cylindrical lens is disposed between a lens having a strain characteristic for realizing uniform speed scanning and the medium to be scanned. In the case of such construction, a good image cannot be obtained unless the position of the cylindrical lens is brought close to the medium to be scanned. If the cylindrical lens is brought close to the medium to be scanned, the cylindrical lens will become longer in the direction of the bus line as the scanning width becomes greater, and this will prevent the construction from being made compact.